Coetcbete-mixer



v E. WHALLE Y. CONCRETE MlXER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY )0, I918.

1,322,854.; Patented Nov. 25,1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 WI TNESS:

Jam

- ATTORNEY.

E. WHALLEY.

CQNCREIE MIXER. APPILICATION FILED IULYYIO. 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- A TTORNE Y.

- PatentedNov. 25,1919.

ENOCH WHAIJLEY, OF WILLIMANSETT, MASSACllI-IUSET'J. S.

CONCRETE-MIXER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 25, 1919.

Application filed July 10, 1918. Serial No. 244,138.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Enoon VVHALLEY, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Vvillimansett, in the county of Hampden and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Concrete-Mixer, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to devices for mixing materials and particularly those which enter into the composition of concrete, and consists essentiallv' of a portable support, preferably of the wheelbarrow type, and a certain, peculiar receptacle mounted to oscillate on said support, when the latter is in normal or initial position. together with such other parts and members as may be necessary or desirable to render the mixer complete and serviceable in every respect, all as hereinafter set forth.

The primary Ob ect of my invention is to produce a comparatively simple and inexpensive, strong and durable, portable, handoperated mixer for concrete and the like, with which the concrete or other materials can be thoroughly and properly mixed by agitation, and from which the mixture can be easily and quickly dumped, after'being carried to the required locality, if transportation be necessary.

Another object is to provide a mixer of this kind -which can be oscillated either while suspended on the support or while resting on the ground.

Still another object'is to provide such a mixer which is convenient to handle and operate.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the course of the following description.

I attain the objects and secure the advantages of my invention bythe means illus trated in the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a top plan of a mixer which embodies a practical formof my invention, the portable support and the receptacle being in what may be termed normal or initial position; Fig. 2, a side elevation of said mixer, the parts being disposed as in the preceding view, and'the middle portion of the agitator handle broken out; Fig. 3, a central longitudinal, vertical section through said receptacle; Fig. 4, an operative view in side elevation of the mixer, the front-end portions of said support being broken off, and Fig. 5, another operative view in side elevation, some of the front-endportions of the support being here broken off also.

In Fig. 4 the portable support is represented in an up-standing position with the receptacle resting in normal position on the ground, while in the last view said support is represented in position to empty its contents, with said support thrown overbackward farther than in the preceding view.

Similar reference characters designate similar parts throughout the several views.

Primarily for the sake of convenience and special adaptitude and adequacy for the purpose for which it is used, and incidentally for the sake of. economy, I prefer to em ploy as the portable support for the recepttacle of my mixer a wheelbarrow. Aside from the fact that this wheelbarrow has no floor, back, or side pieces, said wheelbarrow does not differ greatly from an ordinary wheelbarrow. It consists of a pair of bars 1 provided with bearings 2 at their rear ends and forming handles 3 at their front termi nals, said bars diverging forwardly,a wheel 4 havingits axle 5 journaled in. said bearings, a pair of cross bars 6 rigidly secured to the undersides of said rails and extending beyond both of the latter, a pair of parallel side bars 7 mounted on said cross bars outside of' said first-named bars, and rigidly secured to said cross bars and attheir forward terminals to said first-named bars, and a pair of V-shaped legs 8 rigidly secured to the undersides of saidside bars. Normally the wheelbarrow frame rests on the wheel 4 and the legs 8, but when it is desired to move said wheelbarrow the handles 3 are grasped and raised until said legs are clear of the ground, and'the'wheelbarrow is propelled on said wheel, just like any wheelbarrow.

Secured on the side bars 7 are two blocks 9, and mounted on and rigidly attached to said blocks are two uprights 10. The blocks 9 are so located on the bars 7 as to position the uprights 10, and any load carried by them. between the supports aflorded by the wheel 4 and the legs 8, when the latter are on the ground, and to makeit} easy to raise the frame of the wheelbarrow, with said load, on the wheel L, theaxle 5 serving as the axis or fulcrum.

Supported between the upri hts 10, on a rock-shaft 11 which is journaled in said up rights at their upper ends, is a receptacle which 1 term a cradle 12. The cradle -12 isof peculiar construction, necessarily so in order to obtain the desired results, it being in this that the materials are mixed to compound the concrete or other product.

The construction of the cradle 12 will sub 7 Thus. it is clear that the cradle 12, whether suspended from the rock-shaft 11 or resting on the ground, can be agitated, oscillated, or rocked freely in both directions by means of the handle 13. In the present case the sides of the cradle 12 are provided at the top in? the center with fixedly-attached hubs 1414, and these hubs are pinned at 15-15 V to the rock-shaftll, as shown in the first view.- The arm 13 is aii'iXed to the rockshaft 11 at one end outside of the continguous upright 10, and a nut 16 is screwed onto said shaft at-the opposite end outside of the opposite upright; The rock-shaft is thus held against endwise movement.

Taking up next the construction of the cradle 12, it will be seen that said cradle has perpendicular sides, each of which extends down to form a rocker 17 at the bottom in the'center, a peaked, wedge-shaped, or acclivous bottom 18, and obtuse-angled" ends, that is to say, ends which flare upwardly and outwardly from the ends of said bottom, and then incline'upwardly and inwardly from the flaring portions. The ridge of the acclivous bottom 18 is parallel with the rockshaft 11, and with the latter in the transverse central plane of the cradle 12. This acclivous bottom is of vital importance, because it is due to the same that the thorough mixing of the contents of' the cradle is possible. I

p In order properly and satisfactorily to 'm'ix'concrete it is necessary, not merely to stir or agitate it, but to cause it to be. precipitated from one elevation to another, and

this I am able to do with the cradle 12, owing to the peculiar construction of the bottom and ends thereof, as just described.

"In practice, asthe cradle 12 is rocked, the contents thereof are dashed or precipitated against the ends alternately of the same, sliding off of one oblique side of'the bottom 18 on to the inclined portion of the end which is approximately at right-angles to such oblique side, and then down on. to

the other oblique side of said bottom, and

off of the same on to the other inclined portion of the end which is approximately at right-angles to said last-named oblique side, so that the intermingling of the materials is complete and said materials are 'thoroughly mixed, provided the operation be continued a reasonable length of time. I have found that, without the acclivous bottom 18 and the obtuse-angled ends arranged with the portionswhich are the more remote from said bottom approximately at right-angles to the oblique sides of the bottom,.as is the case,the m1x1ng process can not be carried out so quickly and thoroughly i as with them, and it may be stated as a fact that in the absence of said bottom and obtuse-angled ends the desired results are in o possible of atta nment in a device of this 3 character.

The top of the cradle 12 is order to prevent the contents from slopping over at the ends, as said cradle is being rocked and when such ends, first one and open, and in then the other, are in their lowposition, I provide, two lids or splash-plates 19 to close over the end portionsof said top. is not necessary to close the top of the cradle completely, hence I do not do so. .Each splashplate 19 has its outer longitudinal edge 7 hinged at 20 to the upper edge, of the adjacent end .of the cradle 12," and has lugs 2'1 WhICliB-XtGlld from the. lateral edges of said splash-plate over and beyond'the tops or upper edges of the sides of said cradle, when said splash-plate is in closed position. A latch 22 for each lug 21 is pivotally attached at 23 to .one side of thecradle against 2 the outer face thereof,in position to engage said lug, when the splash-plate '19 from 1 which thelug'projects islinclosed position,

and hold said splaslnplate in such position.

A spring 24: is arranged and adapted to force each latch 22 toward the adjacent lug 21 on one of the splash-plates 19, when'ithe splash-plate is closed,' -and to retain said latch in engagement with said lug;- Stop pins 25. are S61E11). the sides of the cradlev in position to checltthe latches 22 when they are actuated by the springs 24; and I either or'both pairsof the lugs 21'are not 1n place to receive them, and said pins are adapted-then to retain them, that is, the

. latches, in engaging position relativeto said Y lugs, so that when thesplash plates19 are, 7

closed the lugswill immediately become engaged by the latches and said plates be locked in closed position. ,To release or unlock either splash-plate 19,, simply draw the two associated latches 22,against the resiliency of their springs 24, out of engagement with the jlugs21 on saidsplashplate:

r The splash-platethus releasedcan -then be swung open on its hinges 20 by hand or will swing open by gravity, according tether The position occupied by the cradle 12. latches upon being released to their springs,

I or at the required place.

after the splash-plate or splash-plates have 7 been opened, are immediately rocked by said springs into engagement with the associated pins 23. When either splash-plate is closed its lugs v21 snap into engagement with the associated latches and said plate is locked thereby.

One or both splash-plates 19 may be opened when the cradle 12 charged, or the materials may be introduced into said cradle between the adjacent edges of the closed plates, in which event neither plate is opened. Unless it be for filling or charging purposes, or in the event the contents of the cradle be dumped through the wheelbarrow frame, the splash-plate 19 which is the more remote. from therear or wheel end of the wheelbarrow, orthe front plate, seldom opened, but the rear plate 19 is opened whenever the cradle is dumped and it is desired to remove the entire contents thereof.

The complete operation of my mixer is described as follows:

The cradle 12 is charged while it'is in either one of two positions. That is to say, the materials may be introduced when the wheelbarrow frame is restingon the wheel at and the legs 8, with the cradle 12 suspended over said frame, as in Figs. 1 and 2, or when said cradle is resting with its rockers 17 on the ground, with said frame upended and thrown over backward, as in Fig. 4. After the cradle 12 is charged the contents thereof is agitated to mix the same thoroughly, the agitation of said contents being effected by grasping the arm 13 and more or less vigorously rocking the cradle 12 for as long a time as may be necessary. The cradle may be rocked while suspended from the rock shaft 11 over the wheelbarrow frame, or while resting on the ground. In the latter case the oscillation of the arm 13 and the consequent rocking of the rockshaft 11 causes the cradle to rock on its rockers 17, the wheelbarrow meanwhile moving back and forth on the wheel 4: with the motion of said cradle. cradle having now been thoroughly mixed and ready for use, the next thing to do is to dump the mixture in the required locality If such place be at a distance from the place of charging and mixing, the wheelbarrow is propelled 7 to the place of deposit or discharge and the contents of the cradle is dumped there from. If the mixing is done while the cradle is on the ground, the wheelbarrow frame must be turned down onto the legs 8, thus raising said cradle from the ground and suspending it over said frame, before transporting the mixture to the place of deposit. Usually at the place of deposit, assuming again that such place be at a dis- The contents of the tance from the place of charging and mixing, the wheelbarrow frame is upended and thrown overbackward until the cradle 12 comes to rest on the ground, and then the arm 18 is grasped and said cradle, through the medium of the rock-shaft 11, is turned over in a V rearward direction, first from the rockers 17 onto the connected oblique portion of the back end of the rocker, and

then from such portion .onto the other oblique portion of such end, said frame following on its wheel and rocking on the axle 5. The rear latches 22 are withdrawn from the lugs 21 of the rear (now bottom) splash-plate 19 and the latter flies open.

The parts and members are now disposed as shown in Fig. 5. The contents escapes and is removed from thecradle while said cradle is in the position just described. The

empty cradle is rocked forward, by the far enough in-one direction or the other for the contents thereof to run out at the low end, the splash-plate 19 at that end being opened, as a rule, to facilitate the dumping or emptying operations. The arm 13 is employed for this as well as for the first dumping operation. The mixture thus discharged passes down through the wheelbarrow frame.

The device may be used in various other ways, of course, and for any purpose for which it is adapted.

The obtuse-angle ends of the cradle 12 are not only factors in the mixing operation and would in a measure prevent the contents of said cradle from splashing over or s1opping out at the top, even in the absence of the splash-plates 19, but owing to the shape thus given to the rear end of the cradle the dumping operation, when performed on the ground as is more frequently the case, is greatly facilitated, as will be readily understood.

It is desirable to lock the cradle 12 against oscillation, when the wheelbarrow is wheeled from place to place, and to this end I may provide a hook 26 and eye 27 said eye being set in one side of said cradle, and said hook being attached by a staple 28 to the top of one of the bars 1. The hook 26 is engaged with the eye 2'? only at such times as it is desired to prevent the cradle from rocking while suspended over the wheelbarrow frame, At all other times the hook 26 is inside of the inner vertical planes of the blocks 9. Each upright has at the base an out- I wardly-turned lug 29 which rests on one of the blocks 9 and is bolted securely to said block.

Changes in the shape, size, arrangement, andconstruction ofsome or all of the parts of the mixer may be made withoutdeparting from the nature or spirit of my invention or exceeding the scope of what is claimed, wherefore I do not desire or intend to be limited to the structure herein shown and described.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, in a mixer, with a portable support provided with a wheel and adapted to be upended on said wheel, of a cradle pivotally attached permanently to said support and adapted to be oscillated over the same when said support is normally disposed, and to be rocked on the ground when said support isupended, said cradle having side pieces which form rockers, an acclivous bottom, and obtuse-angle ends flaring outwardly from said bottom and then extending inwardly, with each i11- wardly-extending portion approximately at right-angles to the side of said bottom which is the more remote therefrom.

2. The combination, in a mixer, with a portable support, of a cradle mounted to oscillate on said support, said cradle having an acclivous bottom and obtuse-angle ends, splash-plates hinged tosaid cradle and arrangedand adapted to close over portions only of the top of the oradle, which portions are adjacent to the said ends, and means to secure said lids'in'closed position and to release them, the ridge of said bottom being parallel with the ends of said receptacle and with said splash-plates.

V ENOCH'WHALLEY.

l/Vitnesses: v r

A. C. FAIRBANKS,

F. A. CU TER. 

